Justia Connect Webinars Immigration Enforcement & Legal Risk: What Every Attorney Needs To Know Today

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Overview AI Webinar Summary

Immigration Enforcement & Legal Risk: What Every Attorney Needs To Know Today

This program provides a practical overview of how immigration enforcement now intersects with multiple areas of legal practice, including criminal, civil, personal injury, and beyond. Drawing on her experience as a former U.S. Immigration Judge, Raisa Cohen offers a judicial perspective on enforcement trends, risk identification, and how cases are ultimately evaluated in immigration court. Attendees will gain actionable strategies to identify immigration-related risks early, advise clients appropriately within ethical boundaries, and coordinate effectively with immigration counsel to protect both clients and case outcomes.

Duration of this webinar: 60 minutes

Originally broadcast: May 21, 2026 10:00 AM PT

Webinar Highlights

This webinar is divided into section summaries, which you can scan for key points and then dive into the sections that interest you the most.

00:00 Immigration Enforcement Environment

Raisa Cohen, the speaker, emphasizes the importance of understanding immigration issues as they intersect with various legal practices. She aims to provide a framework for attorneys to recognize and address immigration issues in their cases. Raisa discusses the current immigration enforcement environment and its impact on various legal practices. She outlines the six predictable touchpoints where clients may encounter immigration enforcement risks. Raisa explains the changes in enforcement priorities, including the rescission of the sensitive location policy and the narrowing of prosecutorial discretion.

22:20 Spotting and Addressing Immigration Issues

Raisa explains the importance of triaging immigration issues during the intake process to identify urgent matters. She describes the process of handling final orders of removal and the significance of understanding in absentia removal orders. Raisa emphasizes the need for attorneys to refer clients with criminal records to immigration attorneys promptly. She highlights the importance of understanding the criteria for mandatory detention and the factors considered in bond hearings.

35:37 Practical Advice for Attorneys

Raisa provides practical advice for attorneys on what they can and cannot advise clients regarding immigration issues. She advises attorneys to educate clients and to refer them to immigration attorneys for specialized advice. Raisa highlights the ethical considerations and potential consequences of unauthorized practice of law in immigration matters. She provides resources for checking a client's immigration process status and emphasizes the importance of due diligence in these cases.

49:25 Relief Applications and Strategies

Raisa outlines various relief applications available to clients facing immigration issues, such as U-visas, T-visas, and asylum. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the nuances of these applications and the need for specialized legal advice. She stresses the significance of being aware of changes in the enforcement environment and the need for attorneys to educate their clients. Raisa provides practical advice on preserving discovery at the beginning of the process.

Please note this AI-generated summary provides a general overview of the webinar but may not capture all details, nuances, or the exact words of the speaker. For complete accuracy, please refer to the original webinar recording.

Speaker

Raisa Cohen Attorney & Retired U.S. Immigration Judge
Cohen Immigration Law Group, P.C.

Hon. Raisa Cohen (Ret.) is a former United States Immigration Judge who served on the bench at the New York Immigration Court (26 Federal Plaza) after her appointment in 2016. In that role, she presided over removal proceedings, bond hearings, and complex cases involving admissibility, credibility, and humanitarian relief. Read More ›

Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Credits

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Alaska CLE

Status: Approved

Format: Live (Virtual), On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: May 20, 2031

California CLE

Status: Approved

Format: Live (Virtual), On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: June 30, 2026

Hawaii CLE

Status: Approved

Format: Live (Virtual), On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: May 20, 2028

Illinois CLE

Status: Approved

Format: On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: May 24, 2028

New Jersey CLE

Status: Approved

Format: Live (Virtual), On-Demand

Credits: 1.20 General

Earn Credit Until: May 20, 2027

North Carolina CLE

Status: Approved

Format: On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: February 28, 2027

Ohio CLE

Status: Approved

Format: On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: December 31, 2026

Pennsylvania CLE

Status: Approved

Format: On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 Substantive Law, Practice, and Procedure

Earn Credit Until: May 20, 2028

Texas CLE

Status: Approved

Format: On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: April 30, 2027

Vermont CLE

Status: Approved

Format: Live (Virtual), On-Demand

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: May 21, 2031

West Virginia CLE

Status: Approved

Format: On-Demand

Credits: 1.20 General

Earn Credit Until: December 31, 2029

This presentation is approved for one hour of General CLE credit in Alaska, one hour of General CLE credit in California, one hour of General CLE credit in Hawaii, one hour of General CLE credit in Illinois, one hour of General CLE credit in North Carolina, one hour of General CLE credit in Ohio, one hour of Substantive Law, Practice, and Procedure CLE credit in Pennsylvania, one hour of General CLE credit in Vermont, and one hour of General CLE credit in West Virginia. This program has been approved by the Board on Continuing Legal Education of the Supreme Court of New Jersey for 1.20 hours of total CLE credit. This course has been approved for Minimum Continuing Legal Education credit by the State Bar of Texas Committee on MCLE in the amount of 1.00 credit hours.
This presentation is approved for one hour of General CLE credit in California from 2026-07-01 to 2028-06-30.

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